I recently watched Patrick Bet David’s video about “Why Smart People Fail in Business” in which he talked about something I have known for more than a decade ever since I started reading Rino Solberg’s literature. He asserted, in essence, that when you are used to making very many careless promises, chances are very high that you will not only fail to be a trustworthy person but you are likely to fail in business on account of your sky-high promises. Pierce Brown once said, “Liars make the best promises.” The rule of thumb is to under-promise AND over-deliver.
However, not many have grasped the gist of this matter. As I shared with a friend, one of the biggest challenges of seemingly smart professionals is a failure to differentiate between ambition and disposition. By definition, ambition is “a strong desire to do or achieve something; a desire and determination to achieve success.” Disposition, on the other hand, is “a person’s inherent qualities of mind and character.” We often confuse the two in such discussions.
Here are my examples to clarify the differences:
- Ambition says: “I must touch the sky.” Disposition says: “I am touching the sky without stepping on anyone’s head.”
- Ambition says: “Just say YES and figure it out later- whatever it is.” Disposition says: “A man is as good as his word. Don’t rush to promise.”
- Ambition says: “Stretch, stretch and stretch a little more!” Disposition says: “Stretch to grow, not just stretching yourself thin.”
- Ambition says: “Focus on the moon/stars up there.” Disposition says: “But keep your feet on the ground.”
- Ambition says: “DRIVE results at ALL cost, through ANY means possible — whatever it takes!” Disposition says: “ENABLE results at the RIGHT cost, aware that the means do not ALWAYS have to justify the end.”
- Ambition says: “Better to over-promise AND under-deliver than to under-promise and over-deliver.” Disposition says: “Better to under-promise AND over-deliver than to over-promise AND under-deliver.”
In short, untamed ambition is a selfish desire to aggrandize the individual AT THE EXPENSE of others, while disposition is a form of healthy ambition that has been put under control. Whenever all we are proud of is being very ambitious go-getters who are very tough and able to kick anyone along the way of our journey, we change ourselves from being human BEINGS to being human DOINGS whose major preoccupation is the insatiable grave-like yearning for perpetual MORE. But like Hazrat Ali Ibn Abu-Talib said, “A graceful refusal is better than a lengthy promise.”
Here is the profile of the person I find hard to appreciate:
He is totally lacking in values to the point that he is happy to go around promising to deliver to you heaven and earth tomorrow morning when he does not even own a spoonful of land. In his mind, he thinks that’s how he stretches himself. He has zeal but lacks knowledge. He merely pumps himself up and brags about the earth-shuttering mountain he is about to level down when he has not even garnered enough capacity to scratch a tiny anthill. In his heart, he thinks that is when I will believe that he is great to have around or buy from. He is the typical salesman who lacks manners but only revels in duping customers. He thus looks at himself as smart but those who truly know him view him as a crook. They thus never offer him repeat business. He has always believed that he has to over-promise so as to grab that business account but he always under-delivers.
In essence, the “under-promise and over-deliver” notion is about recognizing the importance of values and principles around which life rotates. Like Rick Yancey said, “Some things you don’t have to promise. You just do.” It is a call to promising with caution yet setting the bar high for self. It is a maturity that has grown beyond mere knowledge and skill to the realm of humane values and considerate principles. It is a form of wisdom that knows this: you can fool some people for some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. The people of East Africa have a proverb that says “Siku za mwizi ni arobaine” (the days of a thief are forty — they are numbered). It has to do with morals, not mediocrity. It has everything to do with not wanting to live with a seared conscience, not to do with FEARING to be judged. It has nothing to do with wanting to please everybody but with wanting to be in right standing with Ultimate Authority.
Today, mature your character enough to be driven by decent ethical values and personal moral principles, not achieving the so-called “results at ANY cost. Know that your word is your bond. Trust is a must. Neither over-inflate yourself nor undervalue your capacity. No need to either promise PERFECTION or settle for “just good.” It is a matter of values — and it pays well in the long run.
No wonder, therefore, as Stephen Richards put it, “Promises are only as strong as the person who gives them …” Like Billy Graham rightly counseled, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when CHARACTER is lost, ALL is lost.” Promise with caution if you are in this for the long haul. Integrity pays and honesty is good business.
#YouWillManage
